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Sunday, January 29, 2017

Driving around the countryside of Wisconsin in winter can be a little depressing if you're looking for pretty things. There are only three colors right now: brown leafless trees, fields of white snow and gray/black snow along the roads. The pretty blue waters of the lake nearby is covered in white. Even the birds that come to our feeders only have a smattering of red (woodpeckers) on them. The cardinals and blue jays come but their visits are less frequent than the nuthatch or the chickadees that visit daily.

It's just an earth tones time of year.

The interesting thing about this time of year, amidst the barrenness and lack of vibrant color, is what is revealed in winter that stays hidden in summer, hidden behind leaves and vibrant bushes and other foliage that mask the secrets only winter can tell.

If you drive around, you can see houses that are normally hidden in summer, there are long abandoned cars that jut out of the landscape, the rust peeking out of the snow blanketed covering. Fences are seen, hunter's tree stands jut out upon the white landscape, resting and waiting for its hunter's return.

So much is revealed when winter comes.

The harshness of winter is not afraid to lay bare its unseen summer mysteries.

It seems we are in a winter of sorts spiritually/politically/emotionally as a country right now. To separate one from the other would be foolish because they connect us in ways that only reveal themselves in winter. Sort of like the spiritual winter we seem to be in right now. There's nothing like an outsider to politics turned president to reveal the winter of our hearts.

What is it about us that when change comes we resist so much? What is it about our fear of what man may or may not do that can send normally reasonable and fun summer people into such turmoil? Do we sleep in summer, lulled by the pretty landscapes of color and foliage and nice summer breezes, so that when winter comes we are unprepared, even surprised by the coldness and fears of our own hearts?

The spiritual winter of our souls are being laid bare and it's not a pretty picture.

The hatred and angst, the fear and discontent, hidden in summer's beauty, now showing its ugly head when its costumes are off.

Winter's secrets are only revealed in winter. Soon summer will come again, but even though the secrets will once again be covered up by summer's beauty doesn't mean the secrets are gone. The homes will still be hidden among the leaf covered trees, the tree stands will be less noticeable, the fences will be disguised, but not one of them will have disappeared permanently.

Our winter heart can easily be seen when the times of testing come. We can cover it in summer, but just because we can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there.

Peace,

Ronda

Psalm 66: 16-20

Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Have you made your resolutions yet? If you have resolved to spending more time in the word of God this year I would like to invite you to my Facebook page where you can read and study and answer short questions each day a from a small portion of God's Word. When we get to Day 365, you will be able to say that you have read the entire Word of God from cover to cover!

You can scroll back to Day One which was started on December 1st. You can go as fast or as slow as you like. Have a notebook and pen handy to take notes, write down questions, record answers, or just doodle!

Have a blessed New Year and may 2017 be the year God finds His people awake and alert in ways never seen in past generations.

My First Book!

Part one of my adult life I was a Navy wife and Mom. Part two of my life I am a now retired Navy wife, still a mom but now am a registered nurse and a grandmother. Words rattle around in my head trying to find a way out. I'm not a scholar or a theologian, and the only letters after my name are R.N. I like studying the Bible and wish I could make a living just looking up original Hebrew and Greek words. It's not my desire to change your opinion, your doctrine, or your political affiliation through this blog. I hope to get you thinking about life and its challenges in a way you hadn't looked at before. And maybe, somewhere along the way, let me introduce you to the Jesus I've come to know. All pictures are mine. Enjoy but don't use without permission.